Peace
by crystalcloud
Summary: A OneShot fic. Hermione is given terrible news about her new found love.


Well it's been a long time since I published anything, but here is a one shot I put together while I was supposed to be studying for my prelims which are next week. I shall get back to that now seeing as I have this out of my system.

I hope that you like it even if it is a little depressing.

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Peace. When had it ever been peaceful? Those times when they had been young and ignorant to the cruelties of the world seemed so far away, almost non-existent.

Time had overlapped itself and now none of them bothered to try and count how many days, weeks, months or years they had lived like this.

"It's over." Harry said, a mixture of relief and confusion in his voice. His words echoed off the walls as though they too seemed disinclined to believe it. Believing it would mean hoping that the killing and violence would end and if you hoped you could be disappointed.

There was a collective intake of air. All eyes were on Harry and he stared back, his eyes had long since lost their softness.

"Are you alright Harry?" Hermione Granger stepped forward from the group and placed a comforting hand on his arm. She felt him trembled ever so slightly.

"It's over." Harry repeated. He seemed not to notice Hermione's touch.

Everyone exchanged expressions of disbelief and shock before smiles broke out like stars in a night sky. Before long the entire room was full of grinning people and they broke into loud chatter; voices that held a happiness long forgotten.

"How did you do it Harry?" Fred Weasley asked smiling.

Harry looked at him "I didn't."

Quiet settled once again in the room, all eyes were trained on the dark haired man before them. He placed a hand over Hermione's, giving her a shadow of a smile.

"Draco Malfoy did."

The silence turned heavy and uncomfortable as people exchanged looks of confusion and doubt.

"Malfoy?" George asked, his tone completely disbelieving.

Harry nodded, "yes Draco Malfoy. He saved us all."

Hermione felt as thought someone had come and squeezed her heart so that she could hardly breathe. Draco? He did this?

No one but Harry noticed as she slipped out of the room and into the open street. She could see signs of celebration already in the yellow lit windows of houses around her.

"Draco." She whispered to the emptiness. Fog stirred at her feet and gave the street lamps a soft glow.

It should have been a happy time; the war was over and the dark lord had been defeated. It meant the fighting and living in fear was all over. Children could now walk the streets with their friends knowing that they were safe and not have to look for dementors around every corner.

But in her heart she felt pain; it started out as a throb as Harry said his name. By now, as she stood in the dark street, it was a sharp stabbing pain that brought tears to her eyes.

"No." She said, trying to sound strong and defiant. Tears fell from her amber eyes as the whispered word faded into the mist.

Hermione had no idea how long she stood there, staring at nothing, hand over her heart. But soon Harry had come outside and was standing at her side. He made no attempt to hold her or comfort her with sweet words.

He simply stood and stared out into the distance with her.

"You have to forgive him." He told her eventually.

"I can't." She retorted sharply, suddenly feeling angry. "It was one promise too many that he broke."

Harry turned to face her and she was shocked to find tears in his eyes. He hadn't cried in so long; he had learnt to be strong and shield himself from pain.

"I will feel responsible if you can't forgive him." He told her honestly.

"He promised…" Hermione whispered, a sob catching in her throat.

This time Harry did hold her. He embraced her and they cried into each others shoulders. The losses they had both suffered from this war were too much to hold alone. There was a time when you had to cry, you had to mourn and grieve.

"He told me to tell you he was sorry." Harry whispered, once they stood apart again.

Hermione knew it was wrong to feel angry, that these things happened and she should really have expected it of him. "Why couldn't he tell me himself?"

Harry shook his head slightly at her "it wasn't something he meant to happen."

They stood in silence, the muffled sounds of celebrations in the building behind them seeming so distant. Hermione didn't think she had ever felt so far from the warmth of her friends.

"Mourn for him," Harry told her, meeting her sombre eyes with his own, "but don't let it stop you from making him proud."

A door opened, spilling light onto their feet. The noise broke through them, their unspoken words flew haphazardly and shattered.

"What are you doing standing in the cold? Come in and celebrate!" Fred called, a grin on his face.

Hermione gave a soft smile, happy that the playful glint had not disappeared forever in her friend. Harry nodded and smiled also, "coming Fred."

When he inclined his head to her, she shook it and walked down the dark street without saying a word. He would understand and she knew it. This was a time for her to think and wonder how she was going to continue her life now that such a huge part of it was missing.

"_I have no idea why I agreed to this." He frowned and brushed a non-existent spec of dust from the arm of the chair._

_She laughed "someone's nervous."_

"_I am not nervous."_

"_Yes you are, it'll be fine don't you worry. Harry is on your side." She comforted, offering him a cup of tea._

_He shook his head, looking a little ill at the thought of consuming anything at this point in time. "Potter isn't the Minister of Magic is he?"_

"_No," She shook her head "but he does have influence, so they will rule you as innocent."_

_He stared out of the window, deep in thought._

"_What is it?" She asked, kneeling down before his chair so that she could see his eyes. There was so much movement in them, like the surface of a pond, disturbed by ripples._

_He turned his gaze on her and although she was close to him, she could not see past his wall he had erected to keep everyone away from his thoughts. "If they do let me free," He said quietly "then you have to marry me."_

_Her breath caught in her throat. "Marry?"_

"_Yes, marry me."_

_She looked over his shoulder, lost in thought. Was she ready to dedicate her life to him? This man before her?_

"_Yes, I will."_

_Identical smiles broke through their grave expressions._

Hermione found herself at her home without knowing how she had gotten there. Her thoughts so deeply lost in memory.

She unlocked the door but didn't open it. Her hand rested on the door knob, her mind knowing that inside, waiting for her, was an empty home. A home with no one in it, but full of things that would remind her of him; remind her of times they had shared together.

The moon shone brightly so she could see the garden relatively well, the flower beds held memories. But aside from that, everything around her held hope; hope of the future that was now, never to be.

She closed her eyes and felt a gentle breeze stir her hair… Hair he had complimented so much throughout their time together.

"Hermione." She heard him say. Her eyes snapped open and she stared at the door before her, trying to figure out if there was a presence behind her.

She felt nothing but she was so sure she had heard him say her name. It was crisp and clear, as though he had been introducing her to someone.

Slowly she turned around, facing the garden, the fence and the empty road. There was nothing there, nothing was moving, it was still and silent.

Tears fell then; uncontrollably. She felt herself crumple and sit on the top stair, curled around her knees as the tears poured out.

"Oh Draco." She sobbed, realisation of the truth finally reaching her. It was the hardest blow her heart had ever taken. "Draco…"

"Hermione, I love you." She heard again, as though he had been sitting right beside her and whispered it into her ear.

"Draco, I love you too." She told him, knowing very well that he would be able to hear her.

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So did you like it? I've found (and some of my regular readers may have also noticed) that this sort of style, pace and genre appears to be how I write my one shots. And I didn't do it on purpose. Let me know if you think a change of style should be on my to-do list.

Thanks so much to everyone who read this fic and doubly thank you to everyone who is going to review!


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